Phone: +43 7282 6258
Mühltalhof was last year for me one of the greatest discoveries. I was hoping to return to this magical place where tradition and modernity melt with each other and with nature. My dream came true when I was invited to Austria for the Gelinaz! does Upper Austria event which took place right at this restaurant and hotel owned by the family Rachinger.
Cooking for a big number of guests, between them 23 of the most exciting chefs from all over the world, 10 international food journalists and some Austrian media, must have been challenging, but Helmut and Philip with their team (very active still also Philip’s grandmother – a lady of an incredible energy!) were impeccable. It was a terrific dinner with dishes full of freshness and intensity that strongly confirmed my enjoyable experience from the last year.
The dinner included also three dishes which were the challenge for the 23 chefs involved in the Gelinaz! does Upper Austria event. Three days after this dinner the guest chefs had to create their remakes of these dishes, so let’s have a closer look at them:
The first dish, Schindelfisch, arctic char cooked in a hot red cedar box, served with elderberry vinegar, elderberry powder and wild sorrel, is probably the most famous signature dish from Mühltalhof (I tried it for the first time last year). It was created by Helmut Rachinger in 2006 and later modified by Philip. A very subtle delicious creation!
The second was a potato goulash. The traditional Austro-Hungarian dish which normally includes lots of succulent meat, has at Rachingers’ gone vegetarian – it was made using vegetables, tomatoes and apricots and was served with a home made potato bread. An explosion of flavours!
The third one was a perfectly cooked deer medallion paired with a delicious eggplant topped with a spicy sauce made with plums and blueberries.
Unforgettable were also all other dishes from that evening. The char with cucumber and hot pepper was one of my favourites – beautifully light, fresh and incredibly intense. Fantastic also the playful double oxheart – oxheart tomato covered with thin slices of ox heart. The evening was concluded with delicious desserts which were full of flavour without being too sweet.
Imagine all this enjoyed in a beautiful ambient where an old traditional house melts into a contemporary ambient with open view into the purity and tranquility of nature. What’s not to love?
